Want not, waste not

The average household purchases around 27kg of food and drink per week, of which almost a fifth (19%) isn’t consumed, according to WRAP figures.

This amounts to almost six meals per week. Among the most common food items wasted are bread, milk, potatoes, meat, fish and poultry.

While households with more people obviously waste more food overall, one-person households actually throw away 40% more on a like-for-like basis.

Their food waste is worth around £290 each year.

Commenting on the figures, David Moon, head of sustainable food at WRAP, said: “Every year the UK bins approximately £12.5 billion worth of food.

“Reducing this food waste will help us all save money that could help pay many household bills, or be put towards family holidays.”

Not just households

Of course, we aren’t the only ones guilty of wasting food.

A separate report from WRAP found that UK supermarkets binned 235,000 tonnes of food last year, of which 115,000 tonnes was perfectly edible.

Put another way, its data showed supermarkets waste 360 million meals every year.

Feedback, an organisation which campaigns against food waste, told loveMONEY that everyone needs to play their part.

‘’When we waste food we also waste all the land, water, fuel and hard work that went into growing, packaging and transporting food.

“This is a huge problem, but what’s empowering is that the solutions are good for our pockets and the planet.

“We all have the power and responsibility to act, not only by buying what we need and eating what we buy, but also by demanding that the supermarkets we buy from reduce food waste within their supply chains.

“The movement against food waste is growing and everyone has a chance to be a part of it.’’